Railway-car-toilet construction



G. F. ZAUN.

RAILWAY CAR olLE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1918.

` Patented Dec. 16,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. F. ZAUN.

RAILWAY CAR TOILET CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED No,v.2I, I9I8.

. Patented Deo. 16,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES GEORGE F. ZAUN, OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA.

RAILWAY-CAB-TOILET CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of L etters Patent. Patented Dc. 1(1'), 1919.

Application led November 2,1, 1918. Serial N o. 263,565.

To all whom z'z may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. ZAUN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Bernardino, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car- Toilet Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates t0 railway car toilet construction, and it has for its object to provide improvements in railway car construction relating to-the disposition of substances consigned to toilets, whereby such substances may be withheld from station and yard zones and onlyudischarged or released upon the right of w ay at Zones other than the yard and station zones. In accordance with the invention, these substances may be entirely withheld froni the zones in which it is undesirable to deposit them, and this may be accomplished automatically without the attention or service or watchfulness or intervention of the train crews. In accordance with the invention, the discharge of the substances consigned to toilets and deposited therethrough may be caused only when the train or car'is operating at or above a predetermined speed. Thus, when the car or train slows down to enter a yard or station zone, the deposition of such substances is automatically terminated and prevented. The invention has, for further objects, the provision of improvements in railway car toilet construction of the nature stated which will be superior in point of relative simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction, taken in conjunction with positiveness and efficiency and reliability in service, facility in installation or removal for repair or replacement of arts, durability, responsiveness to contro, compactness in form, and adaptability to mechanical construction and environment, and which will be generally superior in serviceability. Y,

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction, combination, association, and relative arrangement, of parts, members and features, all as hereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and finally pointed out in claims.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view taken through a portion of the floor construction of a Cal', and .through car toilet Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a railway car, equipped with toilet construction embodying the invention, thesame being partly broken awty and 1nl sectlon, to asslst illustration; an a v Y I.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view, taken upon the line :r4- m4, Fig. 1, and lookcov p ing in the direction of the appended arrows.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are designated by the same reference characters Referring with particularity to the drawings, A designates a portion of the flooring ofa' railway car, B, upon which flooring is or are supported one or more toilet bowls, C.

over suitable openings in the floor, the contents of such bowls being adapted to be discharged or disposed of through discharge pipes, 5, extendlng beneath the flooring and flanged as at 6 to rest upon it. Each such pipeor tubular discharge spout, 5, empties into a hopper, 7, of which there may be' one for each toilet bowl, C, or one for a plurality of toilet bowls, each such hopper having a top covering or wall or closure plate, 8, -provided with a separate collar, 9, extending upwardly into each discharge pipe, 5, the discharge through .which it'accommodates. At the lower end of each hopper, 7, or at the bottom .portion thereof, is provided a downwardly taperi discharge spout, 10, the inner Wall of which provides a seat for' a valve or stopper, 11, preferably of rubber, to produce a tight closure when seated, and mounted upon the lower end of a vvalve 'stern or rod, 12, the upper end of which passes freely [and slidably Y,

through a boss, 13, upon the top closure plate 8, such boss serving as a guide conne the stem or rod,12, to its proper path ofplay, and. insure the direct seating of the valve or plug, 11.. Loosely and pivotally connected with, the upper end of the stem 'or rod 12, as at 13, is a lever arm, 14, fulcrumed as at 15, at a point between its ends, and preferably further from the end o f the 'pivotal connection 13a, than from the other end, which other end is loosely and pivotally connected by a link 16 with the core or amature 17 of a Solenoid 18,. energized los through circuit wires 19, making an electric path to anV automatic switch device, D, receiving and controlling electrical energy through a path comprising circuit wires 20 which electrically connect such switch de vice with a source of lelectrical energy E, which in practice will a generator operated by or in the movement of the car or train with which the toilet construction of the invention is equipped. The switch device, D, is so organized in accordance with well known and standard practice, .or of any preferred organization', that it will only operate to energize the solenoid 18, when a predetermined pressure or voltage is supplied through the circuit wires 20, from the source of electrical supply, E, andy this electrical pressure or voltage will -be that which is generated at a predetermined speed of motion of the car or train, with which the improvements are associated. Thus, the switch device D may be set or adjusted to energize and maintain the energization of the solenoid 18, when the car or train 1smoving at a speed of-forty miles an hour, and it follows that if the trains or cars ofla given system never operate at a ,speed as high as forty miles an hour when within the station or yard or other prescribed zones or limits, the solenoid 18 will never be energized at suchlatter times, and no pull will be exerted to oscillate the leverarm 14C, and

' displace the valve or plug 11 from its seat in the hopper l0. Thus, conversely, it is only when the car or train is out of the yard or other prescribed limit, thatthe solenoid 18 will be energized and the valve or plug 11 removed from its seat or held so removed,`

so as to permit the discharge of the contents of the hopper 7 upon the r1ght of way.

The solenoid, 18, and lever 14, with itsfulcrum 15, are both accommodated in a frame member f, which is anged as at 21, in connection with the hopper, 7 and its attendant features, these latter being flanged -in connection with a hanger, 22; and such hanger and hopper, 7, and its features, together with its frame "member, f, are all comprised within a detachable unit, F, which may' bevconnected with the flooring, A., by means of curved slots, 23, in the frame member, f, and, in the hanger, 22, and whereby such detachable unit may be suspended by bolts 24 from vthe flooring, A, and adjusted so as to properly center with the bowl C and its discharge spout, 5. Likewise, this permits of conveniently and speedily detaching and lie-attaching the hopper,

7, and the attendant features, for purposes of repair, cleaning, replacement, or the-like. Asafety pull, 25, may be provided through the floorin A, and connected with the lever arm, 14,`p1votally, asat 26. Likewise, an overow, 27, with trap, may be' provided upon the hopper. Fromthe opposite side messie of the hopper, 7, may be provided a vent pipe, 28, which may extend above the roof of the car.v

In Fig. 3, the cariis shown vas provided with three of the bowls, C, one of them being at one end of the car and provided with a separate hopper, 7, with its plug or valve 11 andthe other attendant features, and theV may be served by a proper number of hop? pers, and that the valves or plugs of all the hoppersniay be jointly controlled, to with-A draw them from their seats andpermit the hoppers to discharge, when the car or train reaches a predetermined speed of motion,

and that when the speed falls below such predetermined rate, all of the plugs or valves will seat, and all of the hoppers will thus be closed, for passage through prescribed station or yard limits or zones, or the like.

The safety pull, 25, lmay be utilized to discharge the contents of the hopper 7, if by chance any of the valve controlling means should get out of order, the overiow 27 permits any liquid contents of the hopper to be discharged in case of overflowing of the hopper, and the vent pipe 28 discharges into open space any gaseous or noxious fumes, 'or the like, accumulating within the hopper. v

lIt is manifest that many variations and. changes may be made in practising the invention and adapting it to varying conditions of use and service, all with respect to the specific disclosures otthe drawings and foregoing description and statement, all without departing from the true spirit of the invention. 3 Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 1. Rolling stock rovided with a toilet bowl and a hopper with which the bowl communlcates, a .valve for the hopper, asolenoid, the roll1ngvstock being provided with an electrlcal generator the voltage of the current generated b which is res onsive to change of speed o motion of t e rollin stock, a devlce electrically connected witg the generator and with the solenoid and whereby the solenoid is energized when the train is moving at a predetermined speed, v

2, Rolling stock provided with a toilet bowl and a hopper with which the bowl communicates, a valve for the hopper, a solenoid, the rolling stock being provided with an electrical. generator the voltage of the current generated by which is responsive to change of speed of motion of the rolling stock, a device electrically connected with the generator and with the solenoid and whereby the solenoid is energized when the train is moving at a predetermined speed', and means actuated by the core of the solenoid for operating said valve to discharge the contents of the hopper; said named means comprising a lever operatively connected with said valve at one side of its fulcrum, and operatively connected with the solenoid core at the other side of such ulcrum.

3. Rolling stock provided with a toilet bowl and a hopper with which the bowl communicates a valve for the hopper, a solenoid, the rolling stock being provided with.

an electrical generator the voltage of the current generated by which is responsive to change of speed of motion of the rolling stock, a device electrically connected with the generator and with the solenoid and whereby the solenoidis energized when the train is moving at a predetermined speed, and means actuated by the core of the solenoid for operating said valve to discharge the contents of the hopper; said last named means comprising a lever, operatively connected with said valve at'one side of its fulcrum and operatively connected with the solenoid core at the other side of such fulcrum; and said lever being provided vwith a safety pull for' manually operating said valve.

4. Rolling stock provided with a toilet bowl and a hopper with which the bowl communicates, a valve for the hopper, a

solenoid, the rolling stock being provided' with an electrical generator the voltage of the current generated by which is responsive to change of speed of motion of the rolling stock, a device electrically' connectedwith the generator and with the solenoid and whereby the solenoid is energized when the train is moving at a predetermined speed, and means actuated by the core of the solenoid for operating said valve to discharge the contents of the h`opper;`said last named means comprising a lever operatively connected with said valve at one `side of its fulcrum and operatively connected with vthe Asolenoid core at the other side of such fulcrum; said solenoid and said lever and said hopper and said valve being combined into a detachable unit applicable to the flooring of the rolling stock.

5. Rolling stock provided with a toilet bowl and a hopper with' which the bowl communicates, a valve for the hopper, a solenoid, the rolling stock being provided with an electrical generator the voltageof the current generated by which is responsive to change of speed of motion of the rolling stock, a device electrically connected with the generator and with the solenoid, and whereby the solenoid is energized when the train is moving at a predetermined speed,

and means actuated by the core of the solenoid for operating said valve to discharge the contents of the hopper; said lastnamed means comprising a lever operatively connectedwith said valve at one side of its ful- G. A. H. SrEYEREn, W. H. Srocxmar. 

